VR First invites industry to join forces for the future of VR

Hundreds of universities look to introduce VR courses against a challenging backdrop

Los Angeles (California) / Frankfurt am Main (Germany) August 8, 2016 – The results of a survey with the participation of 201 universities announced by VR First shows that a remarkable number of academic institutions around the world are interested in creating programs for VR development, but are currently underequipped to deliver on their ambitions.

The interest in VR is growing very fast. Since the launch of VR First earlier this year, over 400 universities have expressed an interest in VR and 201 of them have officially applied for a VR First lab.

The research also showed that 88% of the 201 universities surveyed are either planning or already offer a VR course, while on average there are less than two headsets available to each of these universities.

Ferhan Özkan, Senior Business Development Manager at Crytek, who shared the VR First survey results at a VRLA keynote session, said: “According to our predictions, the VR industry is likely to require many more skilled development graduates than it will be producing in the next years. At the same time our data clearly shows that universities are under-equipped to implement educational goals and satisfy the VR industry’s demand. With the VR First initiative we’re addressing this problem, and we invite leading lights in the industry to contribute to this collective approach towards the empowerment of students and developers.”

Since January this year, 14 universities from the USA, New Zealand, Canada, and Europe have joined the VR First program. The scheme aims to support grassroots VR development by establishing VR Labs on university campuses, each one offering students easy access to development solutions like Crytek’s CRYENGINE and state-of-the art VR hardware from technology partners.

About VR First
VR First is an initiative designed to provide state-of-the-art facilities to anyone interested in exploring the power and potential of virtual reality development. The program encourages educational institutions around the world to establish dedicated VR labs on their campuses by partnering with VR hardware manufacturers and software companies. VR First participants have full access to Crytek’s CRYENGINE software alongside the latest technology required for VR development. The overarching goal of VR First is to nurture new talent in VR development and to establish a knowledge sharing platform.

For more information visit vrfirst.cryengine.com.

About Crytek
Crytek is an independent videogame developer, publisher, and technology provider dedicated to pushing the boundaries of gaming with its cutting-edge 3D game development platform CRYENGINE. With headquarters in Frankfurt am Main (Germany) and studios in Kiev (Ukraine), Budapest (Hungary), Sofia (Bulgaria), Seoul (South Korea), Shanghai (China), and Istanbul (Turkey), Crytek has created multiple award-winning titles, including the original Far Cry, the Crysis series, Ryse: Son of Rome, Warface, and The Climb. Crytek delivers fun and innovative gaming experiences for PC, consoles, and VR and continues to grow its reach in the games-as-a-service market. Every Crytek game is created with CRYENGINE, which can be used by anyone to create games on a Pay What You Want business model.
For more information visit www.crytek.com and www.cryengine.com .

MIGHT & MAGIC^® HEROES^® VII TRIAL BY FIRE STAND-ALONE EXPANSION AND COMPLETE EDITION NOW AVAILABLE

Take Control of the Fortress Faction in Two New Campaigns

Ubisoft^® has released Trial by Fire, the new stand-alone expansion for the turn-based strategy game Might & Magic Heroes VII. The Complete Edition of the game is also available now for Windows PC.

Trial by Fire features two original campaigns that take place five years after the events of Might & Magic Heroes VII. When Ivan, the recently crowned Emperor, is informed that Dwarven warbands are once again threatening his territory, he is ready to go to war to protect his people. But he also knows a new global conflict could bring the end of the Empire. Hoping to prevent such a tragic escalation, Vilma, leader of the Sudgerd Dwarves, comes to Ivan’s court as an ambassador. Her tale will shed light on some of the darkest chapters of the Dwarves’ history – and reveal the key to saving both of their peoples.

Adding more than 30 hours of gameplay, the expansion allows players to take control of the new Fortress Faction. As they embody legendary Dwarven heroes in a unique mountain environment, players get to see iconic new creatures such as the Red Dragons, Fire Giants and Valkyries. Players will also enjoy extra content, such as six additional skirmish maps and dozens of new artifacts, abilities and achievements. Trial by Fire is a compelling follow-up that allows both newcomers and longtime fans to enjoy the authentic Might & Magic Heroes experience.

The Complete Edition of Might & Magic Heroes VII is also available for purchase now. It includes the base game and the Trial by Fire expansion. Players will also be able to enjoy The Lost Tales of Axeoth, a two-campaign content piece that brings to life scripts originally written for Heroes of Might & Magic IV. In addition, a global update makes gameplay improvements available to all Might & Magic Heroes VII players.

For more information about Might & Magic Heroes VII: Trial by Fire, please visit the Might & Magic Heroes Official Website: mightandmagic.com/heroes7

ANARCHY COMES TO ROCKET LEAGUE^® WITH FREE NEW “RUMBLE” MODE

Random, Hilarious Power-ups To Be Unleashed This September

SAN DIEGO, CA – August 7, 2016 – Independent video game developer and publisher, Psyonix, is thrilled to announce that it is bringing an all-new, chaotic game mode dubbed Rocket League^® Rumble to Rocket League^® players around the world, starting next month.

Revealed on stage for the first time at today’s finale of the Rocket League Championship Series in Hollywood, California, Rocket League^® Rumble is a FREE new game mode that lets you play in an epic battle royale stacked with randomized power-ups. Whether you’re equipped with the Haymaker (which punches the ball), the Swapper (that changes your place with an opponent’s), or the Tornado (which you’ll just have to see to believe), each one of the 11 new power-ups brings an extra dimension to the classic Rocket League^® formula.

View the trailer HERE: Youtu.be/7iz-dQifR7Q

Like the “Hoops” and “Mutator” modes before it, Rocket League^® Rumble will appear in online playlists when it debuts in September, and will also be available in both Private and Exhibition matches. The complete power-up list includes:

• The Boot (Kick’s an opponent’s car)
• Disruptor (Forces the opponent to drive uncontrollably)
• Freezer (Freezes the ball in-place)
• Grappling Hook (Pulls you towards the ball)
• Haymaker (Punches the ball)
• Magnetizer (Attracts the ball to your car)
• Plunger (Grabs the ball via plunger and cord)
• Power Hitter (Hit everything harder)
• Spike (Attach the ball to your car when you bump into it)
• Swapper (Change positions on the field with your opponent)
• Tornado (Sweep up the ball and cars into a giant funnel cloud)

Rocket League^® Rumble is just the beginning of a much bigger update planned for September. Expect more details in the coming weeks.

# # #

ABOUT ROCKET LEAGUE^®

Winner or nominee of more than 150 “Game of the Year” awards, Rocket League^® is one of the most critically-acclaimed sports games of a generation. Boasting a community of more than 19 million players, Rocket League^® is a high-powered hybrid of arcade-style soccer and vehicular mayhem that offers easy-to-understand controls and fluid, physics-driven competition. Available digitally on Xbox One, PlayStation^®4 computer entertainment system, and Windows PC via Steam, Rocket League^® includes more than 100 billion possible customization combinations, a fully-featured offline season mode, multiple game types, casual and competitive online matches, and special “Mutators” that let you change the rules entirely.

To learn more about Rocket League^®, please visit www.RocketLeagueGame.com, “Like” it on Facebook, and follow it on Twitter @RocketLeague for all the latest developer updates and news.

ABOUT PSYONIX

Based in San Diego, CA, Psyonix is a critically-acclaimed independent video game developer and leading experts in Unreal Engine technology. For more than a decade, the studio has been a driving force behind some of the most successful games in the industry, including Gears of War, Mass Effect 3, XCOM: Enemy Unknown, Bulletstorm, Unreal Tournament III, Unreal Tournament 2004, and the award-winning Sports-Action hit, Rocket League^®.

For more information, visit www.psyonix.com.